Music and the movies played a key role in spreading Nelson Mandela‘s message around the globe.

The protest leader and former South African president, who died at the age of 95, has been portrayed on screen by a wide range of actors, including Danny Glover (“Mandela”) and Morgan Freeman (“Invictus”).

Most recently, Idris Elba played the South African leader in the current movie “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom” and Terrence Howard portrayed him in “Winnie Mandela.”

Nelson Mandela’s death comes just as he was once again receiving the Hollywood treatment.

A new movie, “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom,” is being distributed by Weinstein Co. and stars Idris Elba as the anti-apartheid leader and former South African president.

News of Mr. Mandela’s death broke during a star-studded premiere in London Thursday night, with one of Mr. Mandela’s daughters in attendance alongside Prince William and his wife, Kate Middleton. According to local press accounts, there was a two-minute moment of silence following the end of the film. Read More »

Actress Naomie Harris says she’s always terrified of watching her own performances, but in her new film “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom,” she found herself tearing up rather than looking away.

“I thought, you can’t cry at your own movie. Stop!” she said. “It’s a really beautiful film and the thing is, it’s not just about it being a film. It’s bigger than that. It’s a piece of history that we’re encapsulating in two-and-a-bit hours.”

In “Mandela,” Harris plays Winnie Mandela, the ex-wife of former South African President Nelson Mandela (played by Idris Elba). Her portrayal includes Winnie’s charming first encounters with a young Mandela, being separated from her children and forced into solitary confinement, and helping steer the anti-apartheid movement while her husband was imprisoned. Read More »

U2 guitarist The Edge told Speakeasy at last night’s screening of “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom” in New York City that a new album is on the way, but it’s not done yet.

“It’s going great, and we’re very happy about progress,” The Edge said. “But we haven’t chosen a release date yet and we won’t do it until the album’s done or as close to done, so we know it’s in the bag, so to speak.” Read More »

Ireland and South Africa came together last night when the biopic “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom” held a screening at the Ziegfeld Theater in New York City co-hosted by the Irish rock band U2. Among the notable people in attendance were Idris Elba (who stars as South African leader Nelson Mandela), Naomie Harris (who plays his wife Winnie), producer Harvey Weinstein (a co-host of the evening), Vogue editor Anna Wintour (another co-host), and U2 members Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen, Jr.

Speakeasy talked to U2 shortly before the screening about the song they recorded for “Mandela” titled “Ordinary Love,” and about the group’s coming album. The Edge confirmed that a new U2 album is on the way, but said they had yet to pick a release date. The band’s sessions were interrupted by one of the few things that could have pulled them away–the chance to record a theme song for “Mandela.”

Harvey Weinstein, the Hollywood producer famous for wooing Oscar voters, on Thursday faced a more discerning crowd: high school students.

There were more than 300 of them from across Los Angeles, and they’d just watched his new movie, “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom,” starring Idris Elba as the former South African president and anti-apartheid leader.

Turns out Harvey Weinstein the teacher is a bit like Harvey Weinstein the Hollywood kingpin: blunt, sensitive and a relentless campaigner. Read More »

Weinstein Co. has made a first-look deal for movies produced by a $50 million film-financing fund announced Tuesday.

The fund, called Catalina Capital, was created by the Los Angeles-based media production firm Larrikin Entertainment.

The deal is the second in recent months that could increase the amount of movies released by Weinstein Co., which was on rough financial footing several years ago but has enjoyed a string of successes lately. In September, The Wall Street Journal reported that Weinstein Co. was close to finalizing a credit facility worth about $370 million. The company released the hit “Lee Daniels’ The Butler” in August and will release “Philomena” and “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom” before the end of the year. Read More »

British actors Idris Elba and Naomie Harris attended the New York premiere of “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom” last night at Alice Tully Hall in Manhattan, hosted by the Weinstein Company with Mercedes-Benz, South African Airways & DeLeón Tequila. The film, based on former South African President Nelson Mandela’s autobiography, opens in theaters on Nov. 29.

Mr. Mandela’s daughter Zindzi attended the premiere and said of the movie, “I feel both humbled and grateful, humbled that I can be part of this history in the making and grateful that, you know, the story of my parents, their life experience, the story of black South Africans and what they went through under apartheid, that that is being recognized, that is being documented.” Read More »

A just-released trailer for the movie “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom” has a new soundtrack that features the music of U2.

The coming Weinstein Company biopic, which stars Idris Elba as South African leader Nelson Mandela and Naomie Harris as his wife Winnie, just premiered a new clip that features “Ordinary Love,” a song written especially for the film by U2.

In the trailer, we hear U2 frontman Bono singing a steadily building rocker as we see images from “Mandela.” “All the beauty that’s been lost before wants to find us again,” he sings.

Mandela has inspired many other songs. The Special A.K.A., for example, scored a hit with “Free Nelson Mandela” in the 1980s. And U2 has experience writing about human rights heroes–the band’s song “Pride (In the Name of Love)” was featured on its 1984 album “The Unforgettable Fire.” That song dealt with Martin Luther King, Jr.

Watch the new trailer for “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom.” Read More »

About Speakeasy

Speakeasy is a blog covering media, entertainment, celebrity and the arts. The publication is produced by Barbara Chai and Jonathan Welsh with contributions from the Wall Street Journal staff and others. Write to us at speakeasy@wsj.com or follow us on Twitter at @WSJSpeakeasy or individually @barbarachai.